


Simply Family

by vix_spes



Series: Ties of the Heart 'verse [1]
Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2118870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A summer BBQ leads Chandler to ponder the life, and the family, that he has carved for himself out in Whitechapel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Simply Family

**Author's Note:**

> I’m writing this for one reason and that reason is because the wonderful slightlytookish and persikay are horrid enablers and encouraged me to write this after getting me hooked on the series. I also need to thank them for said encouragement and hand-holding.

Standing on the doorstep of the Miles family home, Joseph Chandler did his best to tamp down on the compulsive need to straighten his tie or his cuffs, for the simple fact that he wasn’t wearing a tie and his shirt was short-sleeved in deference to the heat. To be perfectly frank, the heat probably wouldn’t have stopped him but, unless he was here on business, he no longer wore his suits when visiting after the baby threw up on one of his favourites at the party celebrating her birth. When it became apparent that his presence wasn’t going to be optional at a growing array of social occasions with the team, he had gone out and purchased several pairs of jeans and some more casual button down shirts in the hope of saving his suits.  
  
In the aftermath of Fitzgerald’s betrayal and McCormack’s suicide, the team had pulled together much more and had started spending more time together outside of the station and whichever case they were working on at the time. That wasn’t to say that they lived in each other’s pockets. Far from it. But they certainly banded together more after the team had been threatened by the Kray twins. There had still been a rift between Chandler and the rest of the time, at least that was the way that it felt to Chandler at first. He had been included in the pre-planned things but never in the off-the-cuff trips to the pub after shifts had finished. There were the nights in his office with Miles and a bottle but those had grown few and far between with Judy’s ‘illness’ and then the new baby.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he reached down and snapped the rubber band around his right wrist and then pressed the doorbell. That didn’t work so he did it a second time and then resisted the urge to return to his car for the emergency tub of Tiger Balm that he kept in the glove compartment. Then he had to fight the urge to just return to his car and then drive home where he could hole himself up in his apartment and not emerge again until he had to go to work. But he couldn’t do that because he would not only disappoint Miles and Judy but the children as well, and he absolutely hated disappointing them. What made it more annoying was that his feelings were completely and utterly irrational.  
  
He didn’t know why he was so nervous this time in particular. It wasn’t as though he was walking into a completely unknown situation, like he had been the first time. He had been here numerous times and he knew more than a few people who would be attending. He supposed that his anxiety lay in the fact that he still struggled somewhat with social niceties and knowing what was expected of him. Previously it had been easier because there had been a reason for the teams get-togethers; somebody’s birthday, Fitz’s divorce party or the birth of Miles’ daughter. This time there was no good reason other than that it was good weather so Miles was throwing a BBQ. He had phoned that morning, told Joseph that he knew he wasn’t busy so he didn’t have a choice; he was coming to the BBQ and he was safe because Judy’s sister wouldn’t be there.  
  
Then there had been a panic because he couldn’t turn up empty handed but was he supposed to bring something everyone could drink or just a bottle of Miles’ favourite single malt? But then there was the problem of what to get Judy. Was she still breast-feeding? If she was, were women allowed to drink while they were breast-feeding or were they advised not to? If she was drinking then what was her favourite? It was too confusing; there were too many variables. Deciding to eliminate as much stress as he could, he settled for a beautiful bunch of flowers and a bottle of single malt. Nobody had answered the door so he thought he would try and escape but, the minute that he had turned his back, he heard the door open and a voice say his name, sounding delighted to see him.  
  
“Joe! You weren’t leaving were you? Sorry, everyone’s out in the garden so we didn’t hear the doorbell and most people have been letting themselves in through the side gate.”  
  
As she had been speaking, Judy had hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, ushered him through into the kitchen and started putting the flowers in water. Through the open kitchen window, she shouted out to her husband, “Ray! Joe’s here,” and watched as he detached himself from the people that he was talking to before walking inside, slapping Chandler on the back with a grin as he accented the whisky.  
“My favourite! Thanks Joe. We were starting to wonder if you were going to turn up. Everyone else has been here for ages.”  
  
“He was stood by the front door; we hadn’t heard it because we were in the garden. Get Joe a drink while I find somewhere to put these will you?”  
  
“Tonic water or orange juice, Joe?”  
  
“Oh! Um, tonic water please. Thank you.”  
  
Not for the first time, Chandler was struck by the random thought that the Miles’ were almost like having surrogate parents. Outside of work at least. They certainly tried to mother him enough between the two of them. Judy had taken to sending enough food for him in addition to Miles when they had to spend long hours at the station beyond their official shifts and, now that he knew what he was dealing with, Miles was a great help in dealing with Chandler’s little foibles and minimising their effect and impact. As unused to this fussing as he still was, he couldn’t help but feel touched by their behaviour; a feeling that was exacerbated by the cheers of his team when he finally made it outside, his drink in hand.  
  
“Finally Sir!”  
  
“We thought you’d got lost!”  
  
“We haven’t got a case have we?”  
  
“Nah, can’t do. Look, he’s positively dressed down for the boss.”  
  
“Oi, you lot! Pack it in or I’ll give you all a clip round the ear myself.”  
  
“Here Sir, have this seat and I’ll get another one.”  
  
Chandler accepted the proffered chair, feeling uncomfortable as always by Kent’s hero worship and dealing with it in his usual way; by completely ignoring its existence. Instead, he took a sip of his drink and took a look around the garden.  
  
The whole garden was full of people – mainly families – and a barbeque had been set up that was currently being tended to by a grinning Mansell who was chatting happily to a man that Chandler didn’t recognise. It didn’t take long for him to realise that he was Meg Riley’s mysterious husband which also meant that Riley’s children were wandering around somewhere. There were a group of small children peering into Miles’ fishpond with interest, several eagle-eyed parents watching carefully to ensure that none of them fell in accidentally. A group of boys led by Liam, Miles’ eldest, were unsuccessfully trying to rope a group of adults, including Kent, into a game of football. The sudden appearance of Judy with the baby had Kent eagerly agreeing to play, even stealing the ball from Liam and leading the way.  
  
It happened every single time the Miles’ youngest child appeared; she didn’t like Kent and he wasn’t particularly fond of her either. It was the complete opposite for Chandler. He absolutely adored little Elizabeth Hope Miles and she, in return, absolutely adored him and, outside of her own family, he was probably her favourite person in the world. At least according to her parents.  
  
That wasn’t to say that it had been easy for him getting used to handling a baby; they were far too prone to expelling any number of horrendous liquids and smells from their bodies. There had been proof enough of that the first time that he had held her and she had rewarded him by throwing up all over the back of his suit. Of course, he hadn’t realised for ages until Judy had taken pity on him and helped him clean away as much of the stains as possible with a wet rag. He had sort of kept his distance for a while after that, trying to sort his head out; trying to determine if he could deal with a baby on a regular basis. His choice had been taken away from him during a second case.

  
_***FLASHBACK***_

  
He had sent an exhausted Miles home but had then found himself floundering without his DS. He had gone through far too much Tiger Balm mentally debating what he should do. In the end, he had gathered up the case files, got in his car and headed for the Miles family home.  
  
The minute that the door opened, the reason for Miles’ exhaustion became immediately apparent. The whole house had echoed with cries and, as he entered the house, a quick glance into the living room saw both boys sat in front of the TV with headphones on in an attempt to block out the screaming. His concern had obviously been clearly visible on his face because Miles had hastened to reassure him that there was nothing really wrong with his daughter but that she was suffering badly from colic and that nothing they could do would soothe her. Apparently neither of the boys had suffered with it so they were at a bit of a loss and completely exhausted. As if on cue, Judy appeared, a red-faced squalling Elizabeth on her shoulder.  
  
Without really thinking about it, Chandler offered to take her, needing to offer to help somehow, in an attempt to give Judy a break. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting; it wasn’t as though he had any real experience with children or babies, in fact he’d only held Elizabeth about twice but he just wanted to try and help, to repay some of the kindness that the couple had shown him. At least once he and Miles had got to known each other a bit better and their fractious relationship had calmed somewhat. What he really hadn’t been expecting was for, the instant that he took Elizabeth into his arms, for the cries to almost immediately diminish in volume although they didn’t die out completely. More than a little shocked, Chandler started to bounce her in his arms, talking quietly to her as the cried slowly grew less and less. Finally, about 15 minutes after he had taken Elizabeth, the cries died down until there was just the odd sniffle and Chandler rewarded her with a gentle kiss against her temple. The sudden blessed silence brought the boys running in from the living room and Judy collapsing into a chair, looking as though she was about to cry.  
  
“That’s it, you’re never leaving. We’re adopting you. Welcome to the family Uncle Joe.”  
  
Miles smiled at Chandler’s bewildered (and slightly terrified) expression. “Don’t look at me like that Joe. I said that Judy always backs me up even if she knows I’m wrong, well, she’s never wrong. Congratulations, you’re an uncle!”  
  
Miles’ words provoked a flurry of questions from the boys stood in the doorway.  
  
“Cool!”  
  
“Can we really call you Uncle Joe?”  
  
“Does this mean you’re going to come round more often?”  
  
“Does this mean we can make you play football more often?”  
  
“If we’re going to adopt you does that mean you’re going to live here?”  
  
“Do I have to give up my bedroom?”  
  
Luckily, Miles sensed Chandler’s growing panic and stepped in to deflect the barrage of questions. “Boys, go back to your game. Judy, why don’t you go and run yourself a bath love? Joe, have a seat and I’ll put the kettle on.”  
  
Chandler did as he was told, humming as Elizabeth started to fret a little. The minute that everybody (and the noise) disappeared, the tension dissipated from his shoulders and he visibly relaxed.  
  
“You can breathe you know. It’s just a title. You don’t have to do anything that you haven’t been doing already. We might just make dinner compulsory once a week.”  
  
“Still, is there a course I can take in how to be an uncle?” Chandler smiled a little self-deprecatingly, the smile turning more genuine at the bark of laughter it produced.  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous. Drink your tea and tell me why you came. Problem with the case? Is this the file?”  
  
Relieved by the change in subject, Chandler shifted Elizabeth slightly and opened the file. “I’ve been going over and over it but it doesn’t make sense. I have to be missing something but I can’t work out what it is. Maybe you can see it.”  
  
“Alright, let me have a look. You just drink your tea and make sure that my little girl doesn’t wake up.”  
  
“No pressure then!”  
  
That had been it. From then on, DI Joseph Chandler was known by another name to the Miles children; Uncle Joe. If he was being perfectly honest, the desire to run for the hills had been almost overwhelming upon being given the new moniker. To him, the title of ‘uncle’ came with a wealth of expectations that he wasn’t sure that he could fulfil; especially where the boys were concerned. Elizabeth was far easier to deal with and keep happy. While the boys were completely and utterly football mad, something that Chandler was the first to admit wasn’t his forte, Elizabeth Hope was a huge fan of stories and cuddling on Uncle Joe’s lap. Colouring was another favourite pastime of Elizabeth’s, not of Chandler’s. He could deal with colouring pencils quite easily, crayons with a little more effort (he was constantly watching to make sure she didn’t eat them) and felt-tip pens were a definite no-go because of all the potential stains. The fact that Elizabeth was still incapable of colouring inside the lines was something of a work-in-progress; he was learning to deal with it while simultaneously doing his best to teach her to colour within the lines.  
  
Slowly, the time that he spent with the children stopped being quite so terrifying. Instead, it became something that he looked forward to, something that he craved. He now understood what Miles had meant when he had said that his wife, his family were the reason that he made it through cases with his sanity intact. Becoming a part of the Miles family, even in some small part, was helping Chandler keep his sanity. He had a standing invitation to Sunday lunch and would normally pop round at least once during the week. If they were stuck in the incident room on a case, the kids would inevitably ask to talk to him once they had spoken to their dad. Miles had even joked that they should just get him his own set of keys cut. Chandler had got all flustered and embarrassed so Miles had dropped the subject but Chandler knew it wasn’t forgotten.  
  
Miles still soldiered on with his match-making attempts (now aided by Judy) but Chandler maintained that, as envious as he was on Miles’ family, it wasn’t for him – the whole relationship, family thing. In the end, all it would inevitably do was stress him out more. No, what he had now was far better for him. Besides, the Miles family may not be blood but they were his family all the same. Simply family that he had chosen.

  
_***END FLASHBACK***_

  
Elizabeth Hope was a very placid child and wasn’t at all fazed by all of the people milling around her back garden and became the star of the show the minute that Judy set her on the patio wearing a pretty floral sundress. She made her way to her dad for a kiss before making a beeline for Chandler. She wasted absolutely no time in imperiously raising her arms with a cry of “Uncle Joe! Up!” There was a visible softening of all the women at the sight of the tall, blond attractive police inspector holding the little blonde girl in a princess-style frock who was chattering away obliviously, not even stopping when Meg Riley “aww-ed” audibly. Chandler shot her a look but she simply grinned at him unrepentantly and there was nothing he could say, even if he had wanted to.  
  
That pretty much set the status quo for his afternoon. The presence of Elizabeth and the rest of the guys on his team meant that he had a legitimate excuse for avoiding football. The fact that it was mostly families meant that he could spend the time talking to people who he felt comfortable talking to and if he wanted to avoid talking to anybody then there was always Elizabeth to act as a tiny human shield. She seemed more than happy to wander between her parents and Chandler, mine-sweeping all of the food that she wasn’t normally allowed to eat, occasionally demanding to be scooped into someone’s lap and gradually dragging the contents of her toybox outside to occupy herself.  
  
As the afternoon faded into dusk and then into evening, Elizabeth began to flag and was quickly gathered up by Judy and taken inside to be changed into her pyjamas. Most of the people that had young families had already disappeared so it was just the Miles family and the rest of the team left. Judy returned with Elizabeth who squirmed until she was set down in Chandler’s lap wrapped in a blanket that Riley had bought her as a newborn and a rabbit that Chandler had bought her in one of the most traumatic shopping experiences of his life.  
  
He may not ever make Headquarters as his father had apparently wanted him to and he was in all inevitably never going to leave his post as a DI in Whitechapel but, looking around at his team, his family – Mansell, Kent and Riley’s husband playing Premier League Top Trumps with the boys, Riley and her daughter talking to Elizabeth quietly and Miles and Judy sat close together in comfortable silence- Chandler found that he couldn’t care less.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would prefer to comment on LJ, you can do so [here](http://vix-spes.livejournal.com/166152.html)


End file.
